Game apparatus



(No Model.) 2 sheets-sheet 1.

H, A BEEN.

' GAMB APPARATUS. No. 425,850. Patented Apr. 15, 1890;

y/ Jv* C I. I I

l (No MqdeL) 2 sheets-sheet 2.

H. A. BEEN. GAME APPARATUS. N0425v,850. Patented Apr. 15, 1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY A. BEHN, OF UNION HILL, NEIV JERSEY.

lGAM E APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 425,850, dated April15, 1890.

Application filed May 29, 1889. Serial No. 312,512- (No model.)

To all wom t may concern."

Be it known that I, HENRY A. BEHN, of Union Hill, in the county ofHudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Gaine Apparatus; and I do hereby declare the followingto be a full, clear, and eXact description of the invention, such aswill enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make anduse it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which fornipart of this specification.

My invention relates to an improveinentin game apparatus; and itconsists in the combination of an operating mechanism, a revolvingshaft, an endwise moving springactuated key, a series ofA wheels placedupon the shaft and adapted to be locked in position upon and releasedfrom the shaft, the figures supported upon the wheels, and the track, aswill be more fully described hereinafter.

The object of my invention is to providea game in which figures ofhorses, men, boats, bicyclers, and animals and objects of any kind aremade to race, and in which they are caused to revolve with the shaftuntil the key is operated, and then they are made to revolveindependently of each other.

Figure 1 is a vertical section of a game apparatus which embodiesmyinvention, taken to one side of the center. Fig. 2 is an invertedview. Figs. 3 and t are detail views of the hubs and the key. Fig. 5 isa plan view. Fig. 6 is a plan view of the operating mechanism. Fig. 7 isa perspective view of the spring-catch.

A represents a suitable inclosing-case of any desired construction, andwhich has its top B formed into a track ot' any desired size.

rlhe portions B of the track are supported by means of the rods C, whichproject down from the arches I), which extend across the top of thetrack and are connected at their inner ends with suitable supportsplaced at the center of the track andinside'of therepresentation ofthejudges stand. These portions of the track are supported from above inorder to give room for the movement of the different parts below.

The central shaft F is provided with a pinion G at its lower end, andabove this 4pinion are placed the stationary supporting-collars H, andbetween the stationary collars are placed the hubs e of the wheels I,upon which the figures J are secured. Each one of these collars isprovided with a conical projection or extension L bothA above andbelow,and these projections catch inside of the hubs of the wheels, as shown,so as to hold the hubs out of contact with the shaft and to cause thewheels to revolve with as little friction as possible. The wheels aregiven any desired weight that may be preferred, so that when given animpulse or movement they will have suflicient momentum to continue torevolve for some length of time.

Cut in one side of the central shaft is a groove N, and in this grooveis placed a key O, which has an endwise-sliding movement and which whenleft free to move is forced downward by the spiral spring P, placed uponthe upper end of the shaft. This key is shaped as shown in Fig. 3, andwhen forced upward as far as it can move the projections a upon its sideengage with the hubs of the wheels; but when the key is forced downwardby the spring the projections do not catch in the grooves -R made in thehubs of the wheels, and thus leave the wheels free to revolve upon theshaft. The projections upon the key O are separated just sufficientlyfar to allow the hubs of the wheels to iit in between them, so that whenthekey israised these projections enter the grooves in the wheels andcause them to revolve with the shaft;

but when the key is forced downward each wheel is left free to revolveindependently of each of the others. As shown in Fig. 3, the projectionsa upon the key O are shown in solid lines catching inside of the collarsH only, thus leaving the wheels e free to revolve upon the shaft F. Assoon as the key is raised so that the projections a catch wholly insideof the hubs c, or partially in the hubs and partially in the collars',as shown in Fig.

l, the wheels are all locked to the shaft so as to only revolve with it.The lower end of the key projects downward a suitable distance below thelower end of the shaft and strikes against the end of the pivoted leverS. In order to hold the inner end of the lever S in a raised position, aspring-catch T is made to catch over its outer end and thus lock thekey. This spring-catch (shown in Fig. 7) consists of a bolt g,whichmoves back and forth on the .base-plate h, provided with the keepers z',and which has its inner end bent upward, so as to catch over the top ofthe outer end of the lever S. Projecting from one side of the bolt g isan armj, to which one end of the springl h is fastened, and the otherend of this spring is fastened to the plate h. To a project-ionextending above the bolt is fastened the rod Z, which has its outer endto project through the casing and by which the bolt is operated. Thenthe bolt is left free to move, the spring 71. forces it inward, so thatas soon as the outer end of the lever S is depressed the bolt at oncesnaps over its top and holds it in that position so that the key O isforced upward by the inner end of the lever S and compresses the springP, and the projections a catch only in the collarsH. NVhen thespring-latch T is drawn backward, the spring upon the upper end of theshaft forces the key downward, so as to release the wheels from theshaft. When it is desired to lock the wheels to the shaft, so as tocause the wheels to revolve with it, it is only7 necessary to depressthe outer end of the lever, so that the catch T will catch above it, andthen when the shaft is made to revolve by the operating mechanism thewheels carrying the figures revolve With the shaft. After the shaft andwheels have been given a sufficient 'momentum the leverS is freedfrom'the catch,

and then the key is forced downward and -every wheel revolvesindependently of the other, making it a matter of the utmost uncertainty which one will stop first.

The operating lnechanism for revolving the shaft and the wheels consistof a large gearwheel V, which has a ratchet-wheel W secured to its top.The pivoted lever Y, carrying the dog Z, is placed upon the same pivotas the wheel and the ratchet. When the lever is moved in one direction,the wheel and ratchet are caused to revolve, and when the lever is movedin the opposite direction to take a fresh hold the ratchet slips idlyaround. Vhen it is desired tostart the iigures in rapid lmotion aroundthe track, one or more vigorous movements are given to the outer end ofthe lever Y, and then the catch T is moved outward, so as to release theend of the lever S, when each of the wheels is released from the key,and then they revolve independently of the shaft.

Pivoted to one side of the track is a rod M, against which the animalsor others figures used are moved, so as to bring the grooves in the hubsof the wheels in a line with the key, and so that the key can be movedendwise and lock all of the hubs in position at the same time. Unlessall ofthe animals or iigures are moved against this rod the grooves inthe hubs are not brought into a line with the key, and hence the wheelscannot be locked to the shaft or the animals given a fair start. Afterthe animals have been moved into po sition and the outer end of thelever S is depressed, so as to raise the key, the rod M is moved outofthe way, and then when the operating mechanism is set in lnotion allof the wheels and gures revolve together until the key is released bythe lever S, and then they revolve independently.

Having thus described my invention, I claiml. The combination of thetrack, the revolving shaft, the wheels mounted thereon and carrying thefigures above the track, the endwise-moving spring-actuated key, whichis adapted to engage with the hubs of the wheels and lock them to theshaft, a mechanism for causing the shaft to revolve, and a mechanism foroperating vthe key, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the operating meehanism, the key, the revolvingshaft provided with a vertical groove to receive the key, a lever formoving the key endwise, a spring for returning the key to position,aseries of fixed collars placed upon the shaft, the revolving wheelshaving grooves in their hubs, the figures carried by the wheels, and thetrack, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of the lever S, the revolving shaft provided with apinion, and an operating mechanism for revolving the shaft, with a keyplaeedin a groove in the shaft, the revolving wheels mounted upon theshaft and provided with grooves in their-hubs to engage with the key,the figures mounted upon the wheels, and the track, Athe key having asliding movement in the groove in the shaft and having its lower end torest upon the lever S, substantially as specified.

4. The combination of a revolving shaft provided with a vertical grooveand a vcrtically-moving key placed in the groove with a series of wheelsmounted upon the shaft and provided with grooved hubs in which theprojections upon the key are adapted to catch and the mechanism foroperating the key, thereby causing the wheels to revolve idly upon or tolock them to the shaft, so as to cause them to revolve with it,ysubstantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

\ HENRY A. BEHN.

Witnesses: l

ALLEN S. PATrIsoN, PHILIP MAURO.

IOO

